Having spent enough years in life to see the government act and follow through, I can honestly say that our sport is on it's way out. The legislature cannot freely infringe on free enterprise but it can restrict and regulate it. This caused the 3 wheeler to fade quickly and spawned many changes in 4 wheelers and how they're ridden. When that avenue is exhausted, there lies the PLACES that they're ridden. We are going to be taxed, regulated and forbid entrance to the point that the industry will collapse. Sure they'll be ATV's but speciality vehicles that can't be hot rodded in a practical manor and will be priced beyond the budget of most. I hate to write about doom and gloom but after reading the dialog of many riders here, they couldn't pay me enough money to ride on my property. It's the crusade to go faster, ride intoxicated and ignore the law that makes me feel like this. The minibike craze of the 70's was just like this. Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Bultaco, CZ, even Harley Davidson had a small dirt bike back then. The regulations and governmental pressure took the dirt riders to the tracks and the industry evolved into a competition oriented bike. The trail riders then faced having to shell out big bucks for a 125 cc and up, race-ready motocross bike. Next, I see modified quads being denied access to public grounds and an annual inspection necessary for regestration. If you never think like the government, you'll never be one step ahead of them. The kids that litter the ground with their beer cans and run a chamber on their two stroke are waving the flag for restriction.........and we have them to thank!

 

I agree almost with what you say. But it is not "all kids" littering and attracting bad press to our sport. The few bad eggs that dump trash to save a dump fee, shoot glass bottles on our trails, and worst of all The trail rider that complains there are not enough places to ride and leaves his trash behind. The enviro crazys will be quick to point a finger at what ever group is on their list this week. Yet if every one was like you and me , keeping our trails clean. We still have county, state and federal goverment to deal with. This is a family sport for me. Big Cypress preserve allows ATV use with so many restrictions that no one rides there. Age, inspection,fees,15mph,drivers licence, but worst of all its swamp.The public land we used to ride is barbwire fenced and posted by the state. Yet they patrol it with ATVs to keep the ATVs out. Don't give up yet. Keep fighting for our right to use public lands. Not all of us are bird watchers.

 

yes, you're right about it not being all kids but the topics discussed here leave me with that generalization.

 

well i dont quite get your pessimism about the whole thing when in you sig you have,
"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger!" where's that spirit? maybe you should get out now?

we need to respectfully and indignantly make our case to lawmakers or whoever and be heard. not make a case like a bunch of rebel A-holes. we have that right. the reason all those things failed in the past was b/c people that rode the things let the other side go too far and win. they didnt think it could ever happen. its like the old anology of putting a frog in a boiling pot of water - if the water is already boiling and you put the frog in, the frog will immediately jump out. but if you put the frog in cold water, let him get used to it and slowly increase the heat, that frog will be boiled becuse he will not sense he is being cooked. we cant be like the frog. we have to make it known in a respectable mannner that we have a right to ride just like they have a right NOT to ride.
sometimes riding areas are closed due a some personal decison by a political figure or activist judge (judges closing riding areas is not their job - they are only to interpret law, not make it) as a promise to the extreme tree huggers.

This land IS your land and this land IS my land. Not 100% theirs and not 100% ours.
In some cases the other side is right - there is blantant land abuse, DB violations, not staying on designated trails, litter and ohter things that have been violated and it costs us all. when will the violators grow up and learn that its not all about them showing their @ss ??

the abuse needs to stop for the good of all riders. i dont want ANY buttwad riders complaining about any riding area that gets shutdown b/c of their LACK of common sense or ability to adhere to rules of riding areas. if they cant follow these, then they need to get out of the sport and do something else. but for those of us that want to ride, we need to ride well (not like idiots) and respect the rules of the area. otherwise, join the violators and get out of the sport.

 

I don't intend to leave the ATV sport but am just making a point about what is causing the sport to get a black eye. Yes, as my signature reads and from personal experiences, "What hasn't killed me has made me stronger". I vote and exercise my right to speak out but do not violate the rules, which are put in place by the law makers. The regulations in place for ATVers are to protect both the land and the riders. Some, who cannot live their life without being inebriated don't belong on ATV's and are jeopardizing my interest in the sport. This hardly correlates with boiling amphibians. On the other hand, it provides good ammunition for those opposed to public land use by ATV's. Nothing can defend the issue about tresspassing or riding while intoxicated but responsible ATV use, regulation compliance and safety speak for themselves and loudly too. ATV's could be a multi-million dollar revenue machine for the local communities but the corner stone has already been laid about their misuse.

 

i guess you didnt see the point to the parable. it simply meant that if we sit by and do nothing, little by little we could have nothing left.

i agree. instead of putting up barbwire and patrolling looking for sheer delinquincy and runnng people off, they should put up a gate, and a toll booth and invite people in for a nominal fee. they would make money hand over fist. millions of atvs are sold every year with millions still out there. it only adds up to $$$$ for them.

 

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This hardly correlates with boiling amphibians.
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i guess you didnt see the point to the parable. it simply meant that if we sit by and do nothing, little by little we could have nothing left.

the reason all those things failed in the past was b/c people that rode the things let the other side go too far and win. they didnt think it could ever happen. its like the old anology of putting a frog in a boiling pot of water - if the water is already boiling and you put the frog in, the frog will immediately jump out. but if you put the frog in cold water, let him get used to it and slowly increase the heat, that frog will be boiled becuse he will not sense he is being cooked.

You were making the comparison of the regulations and rules gaining a foothold to boiling the frog. Young riders being killed from inexperience and a machine that simply goes too fast for their young minds and bodies to handle isn't a-kin to keeping one's head in the sand. This was an issue that needed addressing and by an agency that could do it immediately. It was NOT something to argue and debate over but something to act on and quickly. The law makers needed to step in and regulate who was doing what and where it was happening because children were getting killed.

Operating any vehicle under the influence of alcohol is something that absolutely cannot be allowed. When the beer cans are beyond the wood line by 2 miles and the knobby tire tracks are all around the camp fire pit, who do you think brought the beer there? So there, you have a reaction(losing the privilege to ride) from an action(acting like an a-hole) and it's no more complicated than that.

You are sadly mistaken about having the right to ride because you don't. There are just too many people on this planet for that mindset and you should already know that. Riding and all other freedoms are a privilege and the jails and prisons represent a constant reminder of that. Public land use is also a privilege and for those who cannot use it responsibly, it can and will be off limits. There isn't any defense that can represent poor behavior, you simply don't practice it. Does the violater still maintain his right to ride on public land? Yes, but because he has violated the laws, he's lost his privilege.

 

Here in the south it really not littering that has cloused everything down, its the big mud tires, snorkel kits and the warn winch atv's.And the real sad thing is all the atv magazines promote it by there aticals and advertisment.

 

Lowboy,

You make some great points.

The problem really remains that a small portion of the ATV world, are just like a small portion of the world itself, they are jerks and like to ruin it for everyone. Given how our media likes to ferret out the negatives about everything, and cast gloom and doom on the evening news, they are going to blow up anything negative and down-play anything positive.

There are a lot of places like where I lived in NJ, that you can't ride on public land at all anymore. Unless you know a guy with a bunch of acres and a track, you pretty much don't ride.

I also agree that you really can't open up your lands to everyone. I would love nothing more than to let everyone ride on my land, but I know that somewhere down the line some jerk will come along. I have 137 acres, my father just 10 miles down the road has 186, I would LOVE to open a public ATV park or even a small 25 acre MX/harescrambles track with some of it, but between insurance risks and jerk-offs it's just not worth it.

 

I live on Long Island and we just had a guy get killed ridding illegally down the street from my house. It was a head-on with another quad. The timing could not be worse since they are having a big meeting about making the laws stronger to fight ATV's


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